Kenny Chesney Reminisces in New Song ‘Knowing You’ [Listen]

Kenny Chesney's "Knowing You" is a reflection on those he's met along the way.

A simple acoustic guitar line and a bit of pedal steel backs Chesney throughout "Knowing You" as he reminisces about a certain someone throughout the verses. He's nostalgic, but without regrets.

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"God, we were so alive / I was a kid on a carnival ride / Holdin' my breath 'til the moment where you're gonna leave me too soon," Chesney sings in the chorus. "I'd do it all over, 'cause, damn, it was good knowing you."

"This song doesn’t have to be a lover who’s gone, or even a friend whose dream took them in another direction," Chesney explains in a press release. "It can be someone who’s passed away, just staring into the sunset, knowing they’re living that best part of life in heaven, maybe even looking down on you and smiling."

Chesney says "Knowing You" "knocked me out" the first time he heard it. "It was such a classic kind of country song you don’t hear any more, and it was so pure," he says, and it "brought back so much of the innocent hopefulness of country music, and it suggested so many people."

"And then, the idea you’re wishing the best for the other person, kind of smiling, knowing just what they’re doing and thinking, ‘Yeah, go enjoy the moment ...’ is something the best people in our lives make us feel," the star adds.

"Knowing You" follows Chesney's latest single, "Here and Now," both of which come from his forthcoming Here and Now album. The record is due out on May 1 and was produced by Chesney and Buddy Cannon, who previously worked with Chesney on 2018's Songs for the Saints.

Chesney has a tour planned in support of Here and Now this summer. His Chillaxification 2020 Tour has been pushed back from an April 18 start to a May 30 one in light of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.